OTHER NEWS - May 30, 1995

Chinese Inventor Wins Judgment: A Beijing court has handed down China’s first million-yuan judgment in an intellectual property-infringement case, ruling in favor of the patentee of a mineral-water machine. It was the third major anti-piracy settlement issued by Beijing’s main trial court in two weeks, following rulings for Walt Disney Co. and publishers Prentice-Hall and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc. The cases were the first from China’s courts since Chinese and U.S. officials signed a landmark accord in March pledging that Beijing would crack down on copyright, trademark and patent infringements, which foreign executives say is rampant. The court ordered Tangshan Fuhao Co. to pay 1 million yuan ($120,000) to Sun Yingui, whose Bailong mineral-water dispenser is one of China’s most popular consumer products. The device is reputed to transform tap water into refreshing and healthful mineral water.